Kerala: MBBS students killed in car crash leave behind grieving families, shocked friends
The five were killed after their car came under the wheels of a KSRTC bus following a collision with the vehicle on Monday night
Devastated parents of the five medical students who had spoken to them hours before they died in an accident in Kerala’s Alappuzha, and hostel roommates who shared moments of laughter with them minutes before the tragedy, are now struggling to come to terms with the loss.
The first-year MBBS students of the Vandanam Government Medical College were killed after the rented car they were travelling in collided with a KSRTC bus on Monday (December 2) night, leaving six seriously injured.
The deceased have been identified as Mohammed Abdul Jabbar from Kannur, Mohammed Ibrahim from Lakshadweep, Devanandan from Malappuram, Ayush Shaji from Alappuzha, and Srideep from Palakkad.
Deadly collision
CCTV footage of the accident shows the speeding car skidding and colliding with the bus before getting crushed beneath its wheels on a rainy night.
Three students died on the spot, local people who rushed to rescue them said.
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Police said due to the impact of the collision, the car was destroyed completely, and the youths inside were taken out after breaking the vehicle.
The passengers in the bus sustained minor injuries, they added.
One of the students pleaded for help, says eyewitness
An eyewitness said the screams of the victims pleading for help were haunting him even hours after the tragedy.
"It is still unclear what actually happened. Maybe the incessant rains caused some difficulties for the person driving the car," he told TV channels.
He said that when he reached the car, one of the students caught hold of his hand, pleaded for help, and soon became unconscious.
Kin, friends come to terms with tragedy
An MBBS student said one of the deceased was his roommate and had told him the previous night that he was going to a movie.
"We were hostel roommates. Though we joined the college just one and a half months ago, I knew him even before, as we prepared for the medical entrance together," the student said.
A relative of another victim, who was spotted on the premises of the hospital where the post-mortem of the bodies were done, said he came to know about the news from the TV channels. "His parents are away in Indore. They were informed on Monday itself about the accident and they were on their way back," he said.
Inconsolable parents
The houses of the deceased youths also witnessed emotional scenes as relatives and neighbours were seen struggling hard to console the parents.
At the house of Srideep, a native of Palakkad, his emotional father could be seen sitting speechless covering his face. One of his teachers, who reached home after learning about the tragedy, described Srideep as a “bright student”.
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"He was my boy...He was such a bright student. I taught him in school for four years," he said.
‘Utmost painful incident,’ says CM
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the demise of the students and termed it as the "utmost painful incident".
"The tragic incident on the Alappuzha National Highway at Kalarcode, where five medical students lost their lives in a road accident, is deeply saddening," he said. He also expressed "heartfelt solidarity" with the grieving families.
(With inputs from agencies)
